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A Life Ends, and a Nation Pauses to Reflect (7 Letters)

The death of Terri Schiavo brings to a close a critical chapter in an exceptionally sad and tawdry piece of the history of our nation.

What should have been a private, intimate matter was turned into a publicity-crazed, history-making event, one from which we are likely to have great difficulty recovering.

Skilled medical experts charged with Ms. Schiavo's care were in general agreement that her physical state was such that her existence was one of hopelessness. Their diagnosis and conclusion were not found to be acceptable by some individuals who have appointed themselves our moral arbiters.

Ms. Schiavo and her loving, well-intentioned parents were exploited by the media and by conniving elected officials, mostly my fellow Republicans, much to my shame and theirs.

Their mischief-making would not have had an opportunity to metastasize had it not been for the ugly public disagreement between Ms. Schiavo's husband and her parents over whether it was time to recognize the fact that this poor woman would not resume a life of consciousness or brain function.

Ms. Schiavo's illness was longstanding, having changed little in 15 years and unable to change, given the severe and irreversible deterioration of her brain.

I weep for our nation, for it once stood near unanimously for freedom, self-determination and stunting the reach of the long arm of the central government. Those who would turn logic on its head were almost able to overturn all of these cherished tenets.

Oren M. SpieglerUpper Saint Clair, Pa.March 31, 2005

To the Editor:

March 31, 2005, is a day that will be burned into the hearts of many people. It marks the end of a 15-year struggle for the life of an innocent woman taken away at the order of a court.

Terri Schiavo did nothing to deserve her cruel death. People may not agree with me and may think that her death should have come as it did. But the underlying problem is that something has happened in America that our founding fathers agreed should never happen: the judicial branch has become the most powerful branch of the government.

This is not what America is about, and it is not the best thing for democracy. It is not for the courts to decide when an innocent person's life should be ended.

These are sad times for America. I pray for Ms. Schiavo's family, and my sympathy goes out to them for having to watch their child die by court-ordered starvation.

Victor HendersonGlen Burnie, Md., March 31, 2005

To the Editor:

Terri Schiavo taught us all several important lessons beyond the most obvious one, the need for a living will.

If we really want to promote a "culture of life," then human life ought to be precious in every situation, and not only under political circumstances.

Ms. Schiavo also led us to make a rather ironic discovery of the "bleeding-heart conservative," who in a role reversal favored emotional arguments over constitutional ones in Ms. Schiavo's tragic situation.

The most critical conclusion to be drawn from the case is that with the injection of religion into our politics and our governance, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between the demands of "evangelism" in a Western democracy and "fundamentalism" in a Middle Eastern theocracy.

This sort of blurring could essentially defeat the underlying principle behind the war on terror.

I don't have the answers. I am just wondering if the wishes of a spouse should override the wishes of parents. Certainly, these situations scream for the necessity of living wills.

Pat GallantNew York, March 31, 2005

To the Editor:

The case of Terri Schiavo illustrates the interface of medical advancements and technology with the "end of life" issues many of us will face.

The right of individuals to refuse medical treatment is an essential right. The right of our guardians or loved ones to make that decision for us in the case of incapacitation also must be preserved.

Margaret O'Byrne, M.D.La Jolla, Calif., March 31, 2005

To the Editor:

Upon hearing of the death of Terri Schiavo, President Bush issued a statement in which he said, "The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak."

This is the height of hypocrisy from a president whose "culture of life" apparently does not encompass the at least 12.9 million children under the age of 18 who live in poverty, a number that increased by 800,000 in 2003 alone.

The nearly 45 million Americans who lack health insurance may well wonder whether they fall within the president's vision of the strong protecting the weak.

If Mr. Bush truly believes in his stated principle, then he might wish to re-evaluate his administration's unrelenting drive to undermine the social safety net that protects the weaker members of American society while continuing his drive to cut taxes for the strongest and wealthiest 1 percent of the country.

Eliot BrenowitzSeattle, March 31, 2005

To the Editor:

Terri Schiavo died today. God rest this poor woman's soul, and God help us for the barbaric circus we made of her last days.